The Project Gutenberg Etext of Lord Ormont and his Aminta, v5 by George Meredith #87 in our series by GeorgeMeredithCopyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check the copyright laws for your country beforedownloading or redistributing this or any other Project Gutenberg file.We encourage you to keep this file, exactly as it is, on your own disk, thereby keeping an electronic path open forfuture readers.Please do not remove this.This header should be the first thing seen when anyone starts to view the etext. Do not change or edit it withoutwritten permission. The words are carefully chosen to provide users with the information they need to understandwhat they may and may not do with the etext. To encourage this, we have moved most of the information to the end,rather than having it all here at the beginning.**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts****Etexts Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971*******These Etexts Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!*****Information on contacting Project Gutenberg to get etexts, and further information, is included below. We need yourdonations.The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization with EIN [Employee IdentificationNumber] 64-6221541 Find out about how to make a donation at the bottom of this file.Title: Lord Ormont and his Aminta, v5Author: George MeredithEdition: 10Language: EnglishRelease Date: September, 2003 [Etext ...
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Title: Lord Ormont and his Aminta, v5
Author: George Meredith
Edition: 10
Language: English
Release Date: September, 2003 [Etext #4481]
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[This file was first posted on February 25, 2002]
The Project Gutenberg Etext Lord Ormont and his
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[NOTE: There is a short list of bookmarks, or
pointers, at the end of the file for those who may
wish to sample the author's ideas before making
an entire meal of them. D.W.]LORD ORMONT AND HIS
AMINTA
By George Meredith
BOOK 5.
XXIV. LOVERS MATED XXXV. PREPARATIONS
FOR A RESOLVE XXVI. VISITS OF FAREWELL
XXVII. A MARINE DUET XXVIII. THE PLIGHTING
XXIX. AMINTA TO HER LORD XXX.
CONCLUSION
CHAPTER XXIV
LOVERS MATED
He was benevolently martial, to the extent of
paternal, in thinking his girl, of whom he deigned to
think now as his countess, pardonably foolish.
Woman for woman, she was of a pattern superior
to the world's ordinary, and might run the world's
elect a race. But she was pitifully woman-like in her
increase of dissatisfaction with the more she got.
Women are happier enslaved. Men, too, if their
despot is an Ormont. Colonel of his regiment, he
proved that: his men would follow him anywhere,
do anything. Grand old days, before he was
condemned by one knows not what extraordinaryround of circumstances to cogitate on women as
fluids, and how to cut channels for them, that they
may course along in the direction good for them,
imagining it their pretty wanton will to go that way!
Napoleon's treatment of women is excellent
example. Peterborough's can be defended.
His Aminta could not reason. She nursed a rancour
on account of the blow she drew on herself at
Steignton, and she declined consolation in her
being pardoned. The reconcilement evidently was
proposed as a finale of one of the detestable
feminine storms enveloping men weak enough to
let themselves be dragged through a scene for the
sake of domestic tranquillity.
A remarkable exhibition of Aminta the woman was,
her entire change of front since he had taken her
spousal chill. Formerly she was passive, merely
stately, the chiselled grande dame, deferential in
her bearing and speech, even when argumentative
and having an opinion to plant. She had always the
independent eye and step; she now had the tongue
of the graceful and native great lady, fitted to rule
her circle and hold her place beside the proudest of
the Ormonts. She bore well the small shuffle with
her jewel-box—held herself gallantly. There had
been no female feignings either, affected
misapprehensions, gapy ignorances, and snaky
subterfuges, and the like, familiar to men who have
the gentle twister in grip. Straight on the line of the
thing to be seen she flew, and struck on it; and that
is a woman's martial action. He would right heartily
have called her comrade, if he had been active
himself. A warrior pulled off his horse, to sit in a
chair and contemplate the minute evolutions of the
sex is pettish with his part in such battle- fields atthe stage beyond amusement.
Seen swimming, she charmed him. Abstract views
of a woman summon opposite advocates: one can
never say positively, That is she! But the visible fair
form of a woman is hereditary queen of us. We
have none of your pleadings and counter-pleadings
and judicial summaries to obstruct a ravenous
loyalty. My lord beheld Aminta take her three quick
steps on the plank, and spring and dive and
ascend, shaking the ends of her bound black locks;
and away she went with shut mouth and broad
stroke of her arms into the sunny early morning
river; brave to see, although he had to flick a bee
of a question, why he enjoyed the privilege of
seeing, and was not beside her. The only answer
confessed to a distaste for all exercise once
pleasurable.
She and her little friend boated or strolled through
the meadows during the day; he fished. When he
and Aminta rode out for the hour before dinner,
she seemed pleased. She was amicable,
conversable, all that was agreeable as a woman,
and she was the chillest of wives. My lord's
observations and reflections came to one
conclusion: she pricked and challenged him to lead
up to her desired stormy scene. He met her and
meant to vanquish her with the dominating
patience Charlotte had found too much for her:
women cannot stand against it.
To be patient in contention with women, however,
one must have a continuous and an exclusive
occupation; and the tax it lays on us conduces
usually to impatience with men. My lord did not
directly connect Aminta's chillness and Morsfield'simpudence; yet the sensation roused by his Aminta
participated in the desire to punish Morsfield
speedily. Without wishing for a duel, he was moved
by the social sanction it had to consider whether
green youths and women might not think a grey
head had delayed it too long. The practice of the
duel begot the peculiar animal logic of the nobler
savage, which tends to magnify an offence in the
ratio of our vanity, and hunger for a blood that is
not demanded by the appetite. Moreover, a waning
practice, in disfavour with the new generation, will
be commended to the conservative barbarian, as
partaking of the wisdom of his fathers. Further,
too, we may have grown slothful, fallen to
moodiness, done excess of service to Omphale,
our tyrant lady of the glow and the chill; and then
undoubtedly